Home
by EnoughToTemptMe
Summary: Chihiro never wanted to go into the Spirit World. What would have happened if she had followed her instincts? The Spirit World still wants her...ON HIATUS.
1. Prologue: Chihiro

Prologue: Chihiro

Prologue: Chihiro

"You guys!" Chihiro whined as he parents started off into the tunnel. "It's creepy in there, don't go!" She clasped her hands tightly in front of her and fidgeted as they kept walking.

"Stay here if you don't want to come, Chihiro," her mother called exasperatedly. "We'll be back soon." "You're going to miss out…" her father called back enticingly.

"No!" Chihiro said defiantly. "You guys are crazy," she mumbled as she pulled open the back door of the car and climbed in. "I'm staying right here."

Five hours later, it was dark, she was hungry, her flowers were completely dead, and her parents still hadn't returned. Chihiro was frightened; where were they? "They should have been back by now," she whimpered to herself, curling into a little ball. But as even more time passed, no one came out of the passageway her mother and father had disappeared into. Chihiro dozed fitfully on and off until dawn, waiting for her parents.

She woke as sun filtered through the trees. Sitting up stiffly, Chihiro rubbed her face. It was still puffy from crying. She was still hungry, and she hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday, and she had to pee. Badly. Gathering her courage, Chihiro unlocked the car door and hopped out onto the grass. She quickly found a bush, and upon taking care of business, felt marginally better. She looked around hopefully for a sign of her parents, particularly around the strange building they had walked off through. She saw nothing, except for the strange little statue of a two-faced man.

Chihiro didn't know what to do. She had no idea where she was, and she was alone. Her mother had told her to always stay where she was if she was lost; that way, people could find her more easily. But no one knew she was lost! Her father had told Chihiro to look for a police officer if she was separated from her parents, but Chihiro had no way to find one of those either.

She sniffed. She didn't want to cry again. Chihiro got back in the car and grabbed a mostly-full water bottle from the cup-holder up in front. Down on the passenger side floor, Chihiro saw bright and shiny paper sticking out from under the seat. Stretching to reach it, Chihiro tumbled into the front seat and grabbed it. "A granola bar!" she cheered quietly, and devoured it in short order.

From her spot in the car, Chihiro looked into the side-view mirrors and noticed the tire tracks torn into the grass behind the car. Turning around fully, Chihiro saw that the tracks extended as far as she could see. "Must have been Dad's crazy driving," she mumbled, mind racing. Her dad had driven like a maniac all throughout the "shortcut"- could she follow the tracks all the way back to a real road? She could find a police officer if she found a real road.

Chihiro made up her mind. Her parents hadn't come back yet; they must need help. She grabbed the water bottle again, and climbed out of the car one more time. Looking back at the red building, she said, "Hold on, guys. I'll get you help." With that, Chihiro began backtracking her way along her father's tire tracks.


	2. Chapter One: Mayu

Chapter One: Mayu

Chapter One: Mayu

"Chihiro! It's time to go!" Mayu yelled up the stairs. Chihiro quickly parted her hair to the side and threw her comb in her bag. "Coming!" she yelled back, sprinting down the stairs. She skidded to a stop in front of the amused Mayu. "Jeez, Chihiro, you'd think I abused you, you're so eager to get out of this house," she drawled, arms crossed. Chihiro grinned sheepishly.

"I'm just so excited!" she enthused. "You know I've always wanted to leave this town." Mayu nodded. "I know you've never felt comfortable here. But now you're off to university! I'll miss you so much!" Mayu said, and collapsed into Chihiro's arms.

"Mayu!" Chihiro groaned. "Get off! I'll come and visit, I promise!" "Okay," Mayu chirped as she stood up on her own. "Let's get your bags in the car." "You're so immature," Chihiro muttered as the two of them grabbed her bags and headed out the door.

Mayu was Chihiro's adoptive mother. When Chihiro had finally made her way into town, weary and distraught, social services placed her in foster care until her parents could be found. They put her with Mayu, a rather unique young woman who had just recently began fostering children. As the two females got on quite well, and Chihiro's parents were never found, Mayu offered to adopt Chihiro after some time had passed.

Since then, Chihiro had been relatively happy, despite the strange disappearance of her family. After a while, her parents were declared missing or dead, and the house her father had bought for them to live in was sold. The money, along with the money from her parents' bank account, was put into a trust fund for when Chihiro came of age.

Now that she had finished upper secondary school, she was using her parents' money to attend university a few towns over from where she lived with Mayu in the town she and her parents had been on their way to move to. She never enjoyed living in that town, but it didn't scare her. There was just something different- especially about the woods her father had driven into.

Chihiro was always tempted to walk back down the path he'd driven on, and look again at the strange building she'd last seen her parents in. It was this temptation that drove Chihiro to leave the town; she never knew if one day she would give in and be lost forever, like her parents. But she had Mayu, and Mayu needed her, so Chihiro would come back, if only every once in a while.

"Wow," Mayu said appreciatively. "Nice view." The two were standing on the front porch of Chihiro's new dorm, looking out over the woods that stretched as far as the eye could see back the way they came from. Inside, Chihiro was frustrated. Why did she have to live in the dorm on the edge of the woods? She came to this school because she wanted to get away!

"Yeah," she said shortly. "Nice." Chihiro turned and went in to the building. She had a ground floor dorm, most likely with a window in full view of the stupid woods. She located her room by its number- 7- and opened the door. Yep. Window. Ignoring the view, Chihiro moved out of the way to let Mayu into the room behind her.

"Tiny," the woman remarked. Chihiro nodded. It was tiny, but there was only one twin-sized bed crammed into the sparsely furnished room. She wouldn't have to deal with a roommate. She pointed this out to Mayu, who nodded and said "Sweet."

For the next hour, the two of them worked on putting Chihiro's clothes and books in the appropriate places, as well as a framed picture of the two of them. It was placed slightly in front of a picture taken of Chihiro and her parents the morning they left for their new town. She looked sullen, her mother looked exasperated, and her father looked excited. She wished that her old self had been less of a nuisance that day.

"Want to go get some lunch?" Mayu asked, interrupting her thoughts. "Sure," Chihiro smiled. "I'm hungry." Down the street from the university, they ate in a little sandwich shop. "Make sure you have fun here, Chihiro," Mayu told her between bites. "Don't get caught up in your books and forget to live a little. Or eat." Chihiro rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Keep fed, watered, and bathed. I know." "Don't take that tone with me, young lady," Mayu replied in a mock-stern voice. "I know what's best for you. Now," she continued airily. "Visit at least every other weekend, or I will disown you."

Chihiro snorted. "Shut up. Anyway, you'd better get going if you want to get home before dark," she said, glancing at the late-afternoon sun. Mayu nodded. "You're right," she sighed. They paid their bill, and Mayu walked Chihiro back to the dorms.

"You'll be alright," she told Chihiro, but Chihiro thought it was more for Mayu's benefit than her own. She nodded anyway. "I will," she agreed, and Mayu enveloped her in a huge hug. "I love you. Be good," she told Chihiro, and after a kiss on the cheek, she walked back to the car and drove away.


	3. Chapter Two: Shiori

Chapter Two: Shiori

Chapter Two: Shiori

Chihiro woke up and groaned loudly.

She had dreamed again.

She had been having odd dreams ever since she wandered out of the woods all those years ago. They weren't frightening, but they were mystical and odd. The only dream that had ever disturbed her was one in which large, fat pigs were being readied for slaughter. She didn't even dream about the actual slaughter, but when she woke up, she couldn't help running to the bathroom and vomiting.

She hadn't eaten pork since.

Chihiro shuddered in remembrance. By comparison, her dream last night left her feeling a yearning for something she couldn't explain, instead of a yearning for the toilet. She could remember that a lot of people were in the dream, and they all were calling her name. Only, it wasn't her name- but it felt right, there in the dream. _Sen, _they had called. _Come to us._

Her alarm went off, startling her out of her reverie. "Another time," she muttered to her dreams. She got out of bed and dressed in a pair of jeans and a light t-shirt. Just as she finished brushing her hair and grabbed her toiletry bag to head to the dorm bathroom, someone knocked on the door. Frowning, she slipped on her tennis shoes and called, "Coming!"

She pulled open the door to find another girl smiling at her. "Hi! You must be Chihiro; I'm Shiori and I'm here to show you around!" The petite girl grabbed a surprised Chihiro's arm and pulled her out the door. "Classes start at ten, so we have a little more than two hours to go around campus. I'm in your first class, too, so we can walk together…" Shiori chattered on at Chihiro, who felt thoroughly bewildered.

"Uh, okay?" she asked. Shiori beamed at her. "We're going to be _such _good friends, Chihiro. Oh, here are the bathrooms. Go finish getting ready!"

Chihiro stumbled through her morning bathroom routine, and was shepherded back to her room by Shiori, who told her to leave her toiletries and grab her purse. "The first day of classes is all about the syllabus, anyway, so you won't need your backpack or anything. Come one, let's go eat!" Shiori enthused, threading her arm through Chihiro's.

Does she ever shut up? Chihiro wondered, but didn't really mind. Despite her overworking mouth, Shiori seemed quite nice. As the two of them walked through campus and into the cafeteria, several people of both sexes waved at Shiori and called greetings. She always waved back with a cheery smile.

"Here we are," Shiori said in a satisfied tone. "Why don't you grab something to eat, and we'll sit over there?" she gestured at an outside bench that could be seen through the large windows. Chihiro nodded, and in a few moments the two of them were sitting in the cool morning air. Shiori plied Chihiro with questions about her schooling, her house, her friends, Mayu-anything Chihiro mentioned in conversation. Before she knew it, it was a quarter to ten and Shiori exclaimed, "Oh no! I forgot my mobile in my room!" She turned to Chihiro. "Oh, Chihiro, would you come with me to get it? Then we can run to class with each other."

"Sure," Chihiro shrugged, and stood up. But Shiori started walking to their right, where the woods loomed. "Where are you going?" Chihiro asked warily. "Oh, it's a shortcut, see? It leads right back to our dorm." Shiori pointed at a well-worn path disappearing into the trees. Chihiro hadn't noticed it before. "Can't we just go around?" she asked, hesitant about following that path. Shiori looked at her, face and voice pleading. "But we'll be late if we don't go this way! Please, Chihiro?"

Chihiro gulped. "Alright," she finally said, grabbing her purse. "Let's hurry." "Of course," Shiori replied, linking arms with her again. They walked along the path, which became more and more shadowed the further they went.

"Shiori? Shouldn't we be there by now?" Chihiro asked after ten minutes. "We'll be late at any rate, now." Shiori laughed lightly. "Oh, that's alright. We've gotten to where we needed to be."

Confused, Chihiro stopped and looked at Shiori. "What? We're in the middle of the woods." Shiori smiled. "Come, Chihiro. I'll show you." She led Chihiro around a bend in the path, and Chihiro saw a little boulder in the middle of their path. She squinted. It was actually a little statue. A man with two faces. Chihiro suddenly paled. "That's impossible!" she gasped. "That's miles from here! I'm not seeing this, I'm not seeing this." She turned angrily to Shiori, blocking out the sight of the large red building she could now see through the trees.

"What is wrong with you?! Why did you bring me here?" she yelled. Shiori only smiled gently. "I was sent to bring you home," she said softly. "It's time to go now." She held out her hand expectantly. Chihiro stared at her, aghast. "Are you insane?" she asked. "You seemed so well-liked, so normal. Are you on crack?"

Shiori only smiled again. "All that we see or seem/ Is but a dream within a dream," she murmured, and her hand shot out to wrap around Chihiro's.

And Chihiro could remember no more.


	4. Chapter Three: The Man

Chapter Three: The Man

This chapter is dedicated to Lemons Melons and Pears for Favorite-ing my story within three hours of its posting!

Chihiro woke up slowly, feeling…surprisingly good. She was alert, with no pounding headaches or random points of pain. Pretty nice for someone who had just been kidnapped.

Because she was sure that was what must have happened. Shiori seemed nice, but she must have cracked and decided that Chihiro would be perfect for her next human sacrifice, or something like that.

Without opening her eyes, Chihiro listened hard to her surroundings. She couldn't hear much. In the distance, she could vaguely make out a rumbling sound, but it was so faint it was hard to tell whether or not she was imaging it. But close to wherever Chihiro was, she could hear nothing. No air conditioning running, no random appliances, no one breathing, even.

Hoping that she was right, and there was no one else with her, Chihiro slowly opened her eyes. She was wrong. A young man was sitting silently across the room-for she was in a room- from her, doing nothing but watching her.

Chihiro yelped, then clapped a hand over her mouth in fright. Who was that man, and why was he here with her? Where did that wacko Shiori go? She didn't know what to do…

But apparently the man did. He stood up gracefully, but as quiet as a ghost. He approached her with a tray of food, and sat down again a few feet away from her. The man slid the tray in her direction.

"Eat," he commanded, his voice quiet and soothing. Chihiro could detect nothing malignant about him at all- just power. "Eat," he said again, more firmly. "It will do you well." Just then, her stomach rumbled. But Chihiro shook her head. She didn't know what kinds of things would be in that food.

The man stood abruptly; this time, his clothes rustled angrily. He walked with precise steps over to a shoji screen and slid it open; a few seconds after he said something into the hallway, he shut the door again and returned to where she sat. He held another tray in his hands, stacked with empty dishes and a pair of chopsticks.

He sat down and pulled the tray of food over to him and spent the next thirty seconds methodically separating each dish in to two even portions- one for her and one for him, she discovered as he pushed one tray back towards Chihiro and began to eat the other.

After watching him for any signs of unease, Chihiro hesitantly picked up the other set of chopsticks and a bowl of rice. The man eyed her and quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing as they ate.

Chihiro ate the food quickly. Despite being in a foreign place with no way to know where the hell she was or why, she was hungry and she didn't feel afraid. She knew this was a dangerous reaction. She shouldn't relax when in possible danger, but the only person she'd seen in this place, the quiet man, had been impossibly courteous.

She set down her bowl and looked at the man who had already finished. He gazed steadily back at her. He was very lean and tall- if he had the face and bearing of anyone else, Chihiro would have called him "gangly," but it caused him to appear strong and regal. His hair was a deep black, she thought, until she looked at it where it rested on the shoulders of his white shirt. It was a deep, unfathomable green, richer than the most brilliant seaweed found on Earth. Its beauty was only rivaled by his sculptured face, delicate as scrimshaw, and his sea-green eyes.

Chihiro felt like she was drowning in his eyes, but the feeling left when he glanced away and then back at her. "How are you feeling?" he asked in that melodic voice. She swallowed nervously, but frowned. "I feel fine. But why the hell am I here?" she asked bluntly.

The man frowned back. "You belong here, somehow. And the Spirit World always retrieves its own." Chihiro gaped at the man.

"The Spirit World," she said flatly. "We're in the Spirit World." The man nodded once. "Yes. I am a spirit, and so are you. Or, close enough to one that this world has wanted you here for many years."

"Uh huh," Chihiro said. "And are you on drugs, by any chance? Or any medication that you may have forgotten to take? Because you sound pretty insane at the moment." He frowned again. "No. I can tell that you will take time to acclimate to the reality of being here."

He stood up once more, and walked over to a window that Chihiro had not noticed before. He turned to look back at her. "Against my counsel, it was decided that you will not be allowed out of your rooms until you appear to accept our world. But I will return everyday at every meal, to dine with you and answer questions. You may have anything you wish for, as long as it is in my power to give."

The man turned back to the window. "I will see you in three hours time," he said. "We will eat lunch together." As he seemed to be leaving, Chihiro quickly called, "Wait!"

He turned back to look at her expectantly. "Yes?" he said mildly.

Chihiro bit her lip. "Just-what is your name?" she asked. For the first time, he smiled at her. "My name is Haku. I am at your service, little Chihiro."

And with that, he pushed open the window and jumped out.

Chihiro screeched and ran to look out the window- was there a ledge he had landed on? No, there was nothing to break his fall except the ground- far, far beneath her. There were no convenient drainpipes or trellises to grab onto either.

Chihiro bit her lip worriedly. "Haku!" she cried. Despite his less-than-verbose attitude, and despite the fact that, as far as she knew, she was his captive, Chihiro kind of liked him. But just as she readied herself to call out again, feeling desperate, wind gusted and she was suddenly faced with a massive creature.

It was a dragon. A full-fledged, white-scaled, black-clawed, and fanged dragon. Chihiro stared, petrified, at the supposedly-mythical creature. But it didn't seem intent on eating her, she realized. As she looked at it, amazed, it seemed to be laughing at her with its eyes. Its sea-green eyes.

"Ha-Haku?" she asked shakily. The great beast nodded from where he floated in the air. "Don't do that!" she suddenly burst out, and swatted his snout. Haku reared back, and Chihiro smiled smugly, slamming the window shut again. She doubted anyone had dared to _that_ to him when he was a dragon.

A dragon, Chihiro thought suddenly.

And she fainted.


	5. Chapter Four: Haku

Chapter Four: Haku

Chapter Four: Haku

This chapter is dedicated to German Mickey for Story Alerting me!

This time when Chihiro woke up, she did have a headache. Not a horrific blinding pain, though, just a dull ache on the back of her skull. "Ow," she groaned, sitting up and touching her head while keeping her eyes shut.

She sensed rather than heard amusement from Haku, because he made no sound. Chihiro opened her eyes and made a face at him where he was sitting next to the window, humanoid in form. He raised an eyebrow silently. Chihiro stared at him uncertainly. He was a _dragon, _she thought wonderingly. He could _fly. _But weren't dragons supposed to be terribly fearsome and dangerous creatures? Haku didn't scare her…

"What are you thinking?" said dragon asked her suddenly. When she looked surprised, he said, "I could see your confusion. What do you want to know?"

Chihiro frowned. "You're a dragon," she stated. "Yes," he said. "A real dragon," she said. Haku nodded. "Why aren't you trying to eat me, or something?" she asked hesitantly. "You aren't acting scary at all."

Haku snorted. Chihiro was a bit irritated that even his snorts managed to sound elegant. "Things, and people, from the human world do not taste very appetizing. And just because I don't seem frightening does not mean that I can't be." Chihiro raised her eyebrows- she couldn't raise just one at a time, like he could. "Huh," she said thoughtfully.

"What?" Haku asked, his eyes narrowing. "Well, I'm not sure I believe you," Chihiro said honestly. "Sure, you can turn into a giant flying monster-no offense- but I can't see you frightening me." He stared at her for a long time. Then he smiled.

"Most likely, I could not scare you as I scare others. I doubt I could find it in myself to treat you like I do the spirits around here. You've just arrived, after all. I knew I must let you settle before you realize the reality of the Spirit World. I do not know if I will be able to change my conduct towards you later," Haku explained.

But as Chihiro smiled at him, he went on. "But do not think that I am not dangerous. I am far stronger than you, who have lived as a human all of your life, could imagine." Haku stood up and swept his hand nonchalantly towards a heavy ornamental vase. It shattered as he touched the surface, seemingly a light caress.

"Do not forget that I am faster than you could ever imagine," he continued softly, and shimmered, disappearing from her view. A second later, Chihiro felt delicate hands wrap themselves gently around her throat. "Do not forget," he breathed in her ear, "that I have more power in a strand of my hair than you have ever seen." As one of his hands slid down to circle her waist, they rose into the air.

Haku held her delicately. "Please," he whispered. "Please, never forget that even I can lose control." With those words, they slowly sank back to touch the ground, but he continued to hold Chihiro in his arms.

She could hardly breathe. He was so powerful, so strong that he could break her with barely a thought if he wanted to. But he didn't.

As the adrenaline wore itself out, Chihiro swallowed and turned around to look at Haku's face. Gently, she reached up and touched his cheek. "I promise," she told him softly. "I won't forget." Haku nodded abruptly, sharply, as if the motion hurt him. He then disentangled himself from Chihiro and strode over to the shoji. Leaving by more conventional means, Chihiro thought wryly.

Haku paused at the threshold. "I will come to you when it is dark, and we will dine together," he told her, and nodded again to her when she smiled. "Until then," he said quietly, and closed the door behind him.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………...

After Haku left, Chihiro decided to explore her cell, as she affectionately thought of it, rather than dwell on what he had said. Besides, she thought, she had already accepted his words. And that was that.

The room Chihiro was in was a large rectangle, with shoji doors at either long side. The right door was the one Haku had left through, while the left door led into a smaller room containing only a thick futon and small table surrounded by pads on which to kneel. In the small room, another door led through the wall opposite the large room. That door entered a bathroom with a porcelain sink, a discreet toilet, and a large bath.

As Chihiro made use of the facilities she wondered at the luxury evident in everything from the bath to the thick, fluffy towels. The entire suite exuded a quiet wealth and elegance. She washed her face and made an effort to comb her long, tangled hair. Almost giving up, Chihiro spied a comb on the counter and made judicious use of it, despite its strange appearance.

"This is as good as it's going to get," Chihiro muttered as she made a face at her reflection. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, either time, but she was desperate for a bath and clean clothes. It was no good to have one without the other, though, so she exited to the bedroom and stared.

In a corner that had previously been empty, a spacious wardrobe stood with one door open wide. Hanging from the door was a fresh kimono and various underclothes; below them, a pair of geta sandals. Chihiro smiled excitedly.

"_You may have anything you wish for, as long as it is in my power to give,_" Haku had said. So that is what he had meant. With the happy though of warm, clean clothes to dress in, Chihiro turned around and headed right back in to the bathroom. To her increasing delight, she found a steaming bath drawn and waiting.

Quickly, Chihiro shucked her clothes and sank into the fragrant water. The scent and sensation relaxed as she massaged shampoo into her scalp and rinsed. This was heaven, she thought. If only Mayu could see her now…

Mayu! Chihiro sat up straight from where she had been relaxing against the edge of the tub. What must Mayu be doing now? Chihiro had been gone from the campus for at least a day and a half. Would anyone have called her adoptive mother by now? Would she be worried sick for Chihiro?

The pleasure of the bath lost, Chihiro quickly rinsed the soap from her skin and stepped out of the bath. Wrapping herself in one of the fluffy towels, she walked into the bedroom again and slipped on the juban under-kimono. After toweling her long dark hair dry and twisting it into a knot on the top of her head, Chihiro slipped on the outer kimono, wrapped the left side over the right, and carefully tied the delicate silk obi around her waste. It was quite difficult without assistance, but she managed.

Ignoring the geta, Chihiro wandered into the large room to wait for Haku. The quiet opulence was evident there, too. A low sofa ran along the wall across from the window. Closer to the window, another low table sat surrounded by cushions. Ornamental art was displayed throughout the room, and Chihiro noticed that the vase Haku had shattered had been replaced with a small table supporting a vase of lilies. She smiled. She loved lilies.

Chihiro sat down on the sofa, tucking her bare feet up underneath her skirts. She had no idea what to do with herself. From the way Haku had opened the door and spoken earlier, someone was outside of her door at all times. That and the window were the only ways out, and she wasn't going to be trying that route anytime soon.

Chihiro sighed and gently traced the pattern of her kimono with her fingers. It really was quite lovely, she mused. The main color was a gentle aqua color just a shade bluer than Haku's eyes. It was overlaid with a subtle gold pattern of dragonflies and flowers- mostly lilies.

The angle of the sun suggested at least an hour until sunset. Humming to herself, Chihiro looked around the room for something-anything-to occupy herself. When she looked to her left, she noticed that a small end-table had appeared, and on it was a book titled "Everything You Ever Thought You'd Never Need To Know." Intrigued, Chihiro picked it up.

She didn't look up from the tome until the moment the sun set, when Haku appeared at her door.


	6. Chapter Five: Humans and Spirits

Chapter Five: Humans and Spirits

Chapter Five: Humans and Spirits

This chapter is dedicated to German Mickey, again, and Dark-Fate17, for leaving such encouraging reviews, and thanks to gothic satan-wolf and Dark-Fate17 (again) for Story-Alerting me!

"Are there really radish spirits?" Chihiro blurted out as Haku slid the screen closed. He raised an eyebrow in response. "Yes," he told her. "And weasels and cats and birds and trees?" she asked eagerly, flipping through the large pages of the book in her hands.

Haku smiled slightly. "There are thousands of different spirits, Chihiro. For anything on Earth that you could imagine, there is at least one spirit. Now, come and eat. I have brought food." Chihiro reluctantly closed the book and stood up from the sofa, stretching.

Haku's voice startled her. "You look very lovely in that kimono," he told her, green eyes glinting. "Thanks," Chihiro stuttered. "I love the color," she said shyly as she took a seat at the table across from him.

In a reversal of roles, Haku served her first, and then himself. As they ate quietly, Chihiro thought of Mayu. "Haku," she said after a moment. "Do you really not know why I am here?" Haku looked at her. "I have told you before. There is something about you that is not human- it is of the Spirit World, and the Spirit World wanted you here."

He sat back, looking contemplative. "When this world wants something, all of us know it, and it bothers us until we have done what the Spirit World desires. Now that you are here," he said, nodding his head graciously at her, "even I feel the relief. All who live in this world feel it. Eventually, you will feel it too."

Chihiro frowned. "That still doesn't explain much," she grumbled. "And while I'm stuck here, Mayu is back where I came from, probably worried sick. I don't even remember how I got here, except that Shiori…" But even as she said it, a memory tickled the back of her mind.

She was walking on a path leading into the woods, and turning a corner, and she saw…

Chihiro gasped. "That statue! That red building! Why was I taken from there?" she asked Haku quickly. Her parents had disappeared through that building. Haku frowned. "Red building? That must have been the gateway between the worlds. And a statue?" he asked. Chihiro nodded fervently. "With two faces," she added.

"Ah," he said. "I believe that was the gateway that must have been closest to you. It used to be a human theme park, if I remember correctly." Chihiro felt pale and sick. "Has…has the gateway always been there?" she asked faintly. "For several decades," Haku said, and looked closely at her with narrowed eyes. "Are you feeling ill?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes," she said matter-of-factly, and for the second time in the last twenty four hours, passed out from shock.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

She came around quickly; something was touching her face. "Chihiro?" she heard said urgently. "Chihiro, open your eyes," the voice said firmly. She obeyed, and realized she was lying horizontal on the sofa, and Haku was peering at her with worried eyes. "What was wrong?" he asked her. "Why did that building upset you so much?"

Chihiro felt nauseous again. "I- well-never mind," she said, brushing his question aside for the moment. "Do-do any normal humans ever wander through that gateway" she asked with forced nonchalance. Haku's face didn't lose any of its veiled anxiety. "Occasionally," he said slowly. "Why?"

Chihiro swallowed hard. "Just curious," she lied. "What…what happens to them?" Haku looked uncomfortable, and because of what Chihiro had observed about him, it made her nervous. "I am not sure that I need to tell you right now," he said, looking at the vase of lilies across the room.

Chihiro's hand snaked out and grabbed his collar, causing him to start slightly in surprise. "What happens to the humans?" she demanded angrily, her face pinched and white. Haku met her gaze steadily. "I should not tell you," he said again, but held up his hand when she began to protest. "But I will."

"The food of the Spirit World is irresistible to humans, especially the food made in the village by this gateway. Once they catch the scent, they cannot leave without finding the source and devouring it. Because of this effect, spirits often refer to humans as pigs. And the most powerful person in this area if Yubaba," he said heavily. "She is an old, overbearing, and cruel witch who runs the bathhouse. And she decides what to do with the wandering humans."

"Chihiro," Haku said seriously. "I know of no one who agrees with Yubaba's human policy, but there is nothing that can be done about it until someone stronger takes over control of the area. The humans are, on Yubaba's orders, transformed into pigs."

Chihiro bit her lip to keep her head. "Pigs?" she asked. "I fail to see what is so grave about that- it is cruel, and unfair to the families of the humans, but what makes it so horrid?" Chihiro was trying to be objective about the whole thing. If her parents were here, in the Spirit World, as pigs, couldn't they be returned to their human selves?

Haku shifted so he was sitting next to her on the sofa, and wasn't looking her in the eyes. "When times are bad in the Spirit World- there are droughts and disasters just like the human world- and food is short, the pigs are used to feed bathhouse guests," he admitted heavily.

Chihiro stared at his profile. Pigs, she thought faintly. Her parents must have been turned into pigs, and then they were eaten by hungry spirits. "Excuse me," she said politely, and stood up. Chihiro smoothed her kimono and bolted for the bathroom.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Haku was standing right behind her as she lifted her head from the toilet. Silently, he handed her a damp washcloth and a cup of water. She stood wearily and accepted both, rinsing her mouth out with water and then wiping her face. Haku watched her as she stood stationary, gazing unseeing at the cloth and glass in her hands.

"Chihiro," he whispered. He could never remember worrying so much in such a short time. "What is wrong?" He walked over to her as she shook her head dumbly. "Tell me the truth," Haku murmured and lifted her head to look her in the eyes.

Chihiro looked vaguely surprised to see his face in front of hers. She shook her head again. "My-" her voice cracked, and she licked her lips. "My parents- years ago, we moved to a new town. But Dad wanted to take a shortcut and then he and Mom took a walk in the middle of the woods and went through the red building and left me alone and I was scared and they never came back-" her rambling stopped as she coughed suddenly.

"And finally," she continued dully, "I left the car by the red building and the two-faced man and walked and walked and walked back to the nearest town. And they never ever came back," she repeated.

Chihiro's eyes suddenly focused on Haku's undeniably horrified face. "And now I'm here, in the Spirit World that wanted me so badly, and my parents were eaten, and I'm all alone, and I want Mayu, and I want to _go home!_" she yelled, angry tears running down her face. She threw down the cloth and glass and was out the bathroom door before they shattered on the floor.

Haku was frozen for a second, but a second only. By the time Chihiro reached the large room, he was standing in front of the shoji with a pained expression. She screamed wordlessly, then launched herself at him. "Let me out!" she yelled, pounding her fists on his chest. "I need to get out of this world! I need to leave! I need to- I need to-" she trailed off, hiccupping pathetically.

Haku stood motionless as Chihiro clung to him. Slowly, he brought his arms up to embrace her shaking body. "Chihiro" he said lowly, roughly. "Your parents may still be alive." Chihiro made a strangled sobbing noise, and his arms tightened around her. "I know you don't want to believe in something that may be untrue, but the past decade in the Spirit World has been exceptionally beneficial. If your parents are alive, and there is a good chance that they are, I will find them. And I will return them to you," he told her softly. "I promise," Haku said strongly.

"I promise."

………

Sorry I didn't update yesterday- I was in the middle of finals!


	7. Chapter Six: Research and Study

Chapter Six: Research and Study

Chapter Six: Research and Study

This chapter is dedicated, once again, to German Mickey, because you made me crack up when I read your last review. Also, thanks to Darkangl28 for Story-Alerting me!

Chihiro couldn't eat anything else, so Haku sent the tray of food away. She was silent and her eyes were downcast, but she was no longer sobbing. After sitting in silence for far longer than was comfortable, Chihiro stood up and wandered into the bedroom. Haku listened to her steps. They were slower than usual; she was no doubt exhausted from her long, tumultuous day.

Once Haku could hear no more footsteps, he stood up fluidly and walked silently to the door. He pulled it open noiselessly, and his eyes softened as he saw Chihiro lying on the futon, blankets tucked up to her chin, with her face turned to the door. Her open eyes reflected the light coming from behind Haku. After a moment, Chihiro sighed deeply. Haku made a decision, and walked over to her.

As he kneeled by her side, Chihiro gazed up at his face and said nothing. Haku was soundless as well as he gently stroked her cheek with his fingers. Chihiro's eyes slowly slipped closed, and right before Haku left her to sleep, he pressed a brief, chaste kiss to her forehead. Chihiro let out another sigh and settled more firmly onto the futon.

Haku left her to sleep.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chihiro woke with the sun and frowned, wondering what had interrupted her rest. Then she realized that the rumbling she had vaguely registered as she slept had stopped. Pulling herself up and out of her covers, Chihiro pulled on a robe and made her way to the window in the large room.

Vaguely curious, she gazed down at the ground far below. From the view seen from her window, Chihiro noticed a wooden bridge with red railings spanning between the building she was in and a small village area. Only a few people could be seen wandering between buildings and shops, and Chihiro could make out no distinguishing features.

Compared to that village, the building Chihiro was in was ridiculously large and opulent. Something was strange about that…

Chihiro turned to look as the shoji slid open and Haku entered with yet another tray balanced on one had. He paused in the doorway, and motioned to her with his free hand. "Shall I wait until you have dressed for the day?" Haku inquired curiously.

Chihiro looked down at herself. The robe she wore covered any skin, nightclothes, and undergarments from her collarbone to the tops of her feet. "No, no," she told him impatiently. "Come in."

She was impatient to speak with Haku. Despite her reservations about false hope (she knew exactly how well that had worked for her in the past-meaning not at all) Chihiro had woken up with a new determination to find out the exact fate of her parents. For better or worse.

Haku seemed amused as he set the tray down at the low table once again, but Chihiro thought he seemed vaguely anxious as well.

"Did you rest well?" Haku asked, breaking the silence that had reined while they ate. Chihiro swallowed and nodded as she set her bowl and chopsticks down. "Yes," she replied honestly. She had not dreamt at all. "But what are we going to do about my parents?" she asked a bit desperately.

Haku looked thoughtful. "I," he said clearly, "am going to research which, if any, pigs where harvested during the last ten years. You," Haku added firmly while looking her in the eye, "are going to remain here, reading that book until you can correctly answer any question I ask, and identify any type of spirit by appearance or manner."

When Chihiro looked angry and upset, Haku's expression softened. "It's the only way, Chihiro," he told her before she could retort angrily. "If I try to escort you from your quarters before you have fully mastered our culture, both of us will be…'punished,'" he finished with a tone expressing distaste.

Chihiro pouted slightly, but silently vowed to learn 'Everything You Ever Thought You'd Never Need To Know' by heart by the time three days had passed.

Something tickled the back of her mind, and Chihiro turned an inquisitive look on Haku. "We're in the bathhouse, aren't we?" she asked. Haku only nodded once, sharply. She sighed. "This sucks. I wish Mayu was here," she mumbled.

"Who?" Haku inquired curiously. "Mayu," Chihiro said more clearly. "She was the one who took care of me after my parents…disappeared."

Haku appeared pensive, a fine line appearing between his eyebrows as he thought. "Mayu," he mumbled. "Who…?" he trailed off. Then he looked up suddenly, as if just remembering that Chihiro was there. She stared at him. "What about her?" she asked. "Most likely nothing," Haku answered, and stacked their empty dishes on top of one another. "I must go," he said abruptly, and stood up gracefully. "I will start my search for your parents as soon as I have the opportunity," he added, offering her a tiny smile as he left her room. Chihiro kept staring at the door.

"Well, that as hasty," she muttered as she rose to go bathe again. Her tears and illness the night before had left her feeling gross. Chihiro grabbed her book off of the small end table next to the sofa. "Might as well study," she told herself as she strode into the bathroom.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

As she leaned back against the head of the tub and cracked open the large book, Chihiro suddenly groaned in frustration. "I keep forgetting to ask Haku about contacting Mayu! Argh!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Three days later, Haku wouldn't answer her questions about his progress on finding her parents, but Chihiro could respond to every one of his questions concerning spirits flawlessly. He graced her with another smile. "Congratulations," he told her genuinely. "I am amazed by your progress. Tomorrow night, however, will be your true test. I will be permitted to escort you through the bathhouse and into the village proper."

"Technically," Haku added, "I am not to be arriving here to accompany you until sunset, but I will be here ninety minutes before then. We have an errand to run." Chihiro beamed at him. She thought that last statement sounded promising. Haku turned to leave the room, but looked back at her upon reaching the door.

"Wear a kimono that is elegant, but easy to walk in tomorrow night. Also," he said, frowning. "Be prepared for…less than welcoming attitudes from some of the spirits. Just because the Spirit World wants you here, does not mean that all of its citizens do."

Chihiro gazed searchingly at Haku, and he returned her look, seemingly reluctant to break it. "What about you, Haku?" she asked quietly. "What opinion do you belong to?"

If Chihiro hadn't been looking so carefully, she never would have noticed the miniscule quirk of one corner of his mouth. "Chihiro," he told her. "I have every conviction that you will do amazing things in this world. I'm not sure we would have survived long without you coming here."

"You will do great things," Haku repeated, and with a final parting glance, left her until the next morning.


	8. Chapter Seven: Pig House

Chapter Seven: Pig House

Chapter Seven: Pig House

I am so sorry this took so long! My muse left along with the school year, I suppose. Needed a vacation? But now I have the next chapter all done, too, so that will be up soon!

This chapter is dedicated to German Mickey for being there from the beginning and to Suils Saifir for leaving possibly the most magnificent review ever, and thanks to Adam-Bloodraven, yaminoryuu, and Iced tears for Story-Alerting me!

Chihiro was startled out of her pacing when Haku abruptly but silently slid the shoji open. She waited anxiously as his eyes ran over her form, and relaxed when he nodded and gestured for her to precede him through the door. Biting her lip, she stepped out of her prison- or quarters, depending on who one asked.

Chihiro glanced around. She was standing in a large hallway with no visible exit to either direction; the wooden floors were stained a deep red, and the walls were all shoji.

"This is the spare guest wing," Haku said, the first words he had voiced since the day before. "Yubaba insisted that you were placed separate so as not to…shall I say, _upset _the other guests."

"Uh huh," Chihiro said dryly. Yubaba was sounding more and more of a witch; Chihiro was positive that the woman had used far less polite phrasing by the way that Haku worded his explanation. She was jarred out of her thinking as Haku gently took her arm. "This way," he said authoritatively. "Stay close. If you wander, you might lose yourself."

Chihiro frowned. "Don't you mean, "You might get lost"?" she asked him. Haku glanced down at her as he led the way down the hall. "No," he replied, and left it at that.

She shivered. "Okay, then," she murmured sardonically under her breath, but she knew Haku had still heard her when she felt the vibrations of his muffled laughter. Once they had walked long enough along the corridor that Chihiro could no longer look back and tell what door was hers, another hall appeared, branching off of the one they were on.

Haku walked confidently down that hall. It was much larger than the one Chihiro's prison-quarters were located on, and as they proceeded, she could hear the rumble of voices and machinery slowly grow louder…until the two of them reached a large, red wooden door that Haku shoved open. As soon as it opened to reveal the area on the other side, the talk ceased and all that was left was the sound of the machines that Chihiro assumed fueled the bathhouse.

Chihiro gulped, trying to make the move as inconspicuous as possible. There were spirits everywhere, all dressed in one uniform or another, and they were all staring at her. She tightened her grip on Haku's sleeve.

Haku looked over the hushed spirits coldly, silently taking note of those who had downright hostility on their faces, and those with mere curiosity. "I will be escorting the lady Chihiro throughout the servants' area of the bathhouse," he informed them with an authoritative tone. "You will not insult her, injure her, or disturb her in any way. She is under the Spirit World's authority and protection- do not forget."

As soon as he finished his short speech, Haku strode forward confidently. The spirits parted silently before them, and Chihiro raised her chin slightly. She could do this like a terrified little girl (which she was), or like a confident and strong woman (which she wished she was).

Chihiro straightened her posture and walked composedly at Haku's side as they wound throughout the rooms and hallways of the bathhouse. The only way to become the person she wanted to be was to try.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………...

They finally exited the bathhouse half an hour after they had left Chihiro's room. As she looked at it from the front, she realized the building was beautiful. "Oh," she breathed, gazing up at the lit-up castle-sized bathhouse. Haku smiled down at her.

"It can be lovely," he told her. "But you must admire it later. We must reach those outbuildings before all light has faded." Haku pointed to a cluster of stout, wide structures on a stretch of land that dropped off into a cliff a few feet away from the buildings. On the other side of the buildings, a large, almost mazelike garden grew rampant. "Hold my hand tight," Haku instructed her, grasping her hand in his long, strong fingers. "We will run."

"Run?" Chihiro said in alarm. "I'm not a very good runner-" she was cut off when Haku pulled her along. She stumbled a few steps while he kept a tight grip on her hand. "Hey!" she protested when she ran into his side as he stopped. "I was talki-"

Haku interrupted her. "Look around, Chihiro," he sad patiently. Huffing, Chihiro looked at her surroundings. Behind her and on her left and right, massive, exotic flowers bloomed from even more massive shrubs, perfuming the air. In front of her were two large buildings overlooking a cliff.

"How- how did you do that?" Chihiro demanded of Haku. "How did we get here in just a few steps when it should have taken a good half hour?" Haku smiled. "Did you learn nothing from your spirit studies, Chihiro?" he teased gently, then his expression became serious. "Come, we must finish this errand."

Haku still had a firm hold of her hand as he towed her into the first of the two buildings. (Chihiro didn't pull away because she enjoyed the warmth, though she attempted to convince herself that it was solely because she was cold.)

"This is where the humans are kept," Haku said abruptly as they entered the smelly structure. Chihiro sucked in a breath. She was surrounded by pigs- there must have hundreds of them! "This many humans have wandered into the Spirit World?" she whispered. Haku nodded. "However," he said, "most of these humans have been here for decades. They do not get ill, nor die of old age while they are…detained."

Chihiro did pull away then, and walked over to one of the pens holding two pigs. "Right," she muttered harshly. "They're kept healthy until they get _eaten._" She glanced over at Haku; he looked stricken. Chihiro sighed. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "It's not your fault."

Haku walked over and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Don't be sorry," he sighed. "In a way, it is. I've never done anything to stop it." Chihiro sighed too, leaning back against him briefly. Her ninth-grade English instructor always said, "Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim." It seemed like she was right.

"Chihiro," Haku said softly. "This may sound strange. Do you feel drawn toward any of these animals?" Chihiro twisted around awkwardly to stare up at him. "You're right," she commented dryly, trying to shrug off her melancholy. "That did sound strange." Haku looked down at her, lips closed.

Chihiro sighed again. "No, I don't feel attracted to any of the animals. These two, though, seem to like me more than the others," she added as she held her hand out into the pen. The two pigs rushed over to smell and lick her palm, as eager as puppies. "Hmm," Haku murmured. "That is good. Chihiro, please stand aside. I want to look at these pigs."

Chihiro obligingly shuffled over to the far edge of the pen as she watched the handsome spirit. Haku stared at the two pigs that liked her, but it was more as if he was staring through them. He was quiet and unblinking for a moment, but as soon as he did blink, he looked over to Chihiro.

Haku looked at her. "Chihiro, would you please think of your parents? I would like to look through your eyes to see them." Chihiro thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. With years dulling her memory of them, Chihiro couldn't picture her parents quite clearly, and Haku's ocean-colored eyes boring into hers weren't making it any easier, but eventually Haku nodded. "Easier than I expected," he murmured to himself, slightly relieved.

"Chihiro," he said, looking away from her and back at the pigs. "These are your parents."


	9. Chapter Eight: Instincts, Impulses,

Chapter Eight: Instincts, Impulses, and Intrigue

Chapter Eight: Instincts, Impulses, and Intrigue

This chapter is dedicated to German Mickey (who was a standing dedication), and to Darkangl28, Dreamcatcher1411, and Suils Saifir for such great reviews!!

Chihiro gaped at Haku. "Just like that?" she yelped, looking at the two friendly pigs through wide eyes. "These are my parents?" Haku nodded.

Chihiro bit her lip. "Well, can you fix them?" she asked. Haku sighed as he looked at her hopeful expression. "No," he said heavily. "They are bound with Yubaba's magic, and though I am very strong for a spirit, I cannot break her magic because of certain circumstances. I had hoped that they had been bound by the foreman or one of the other servants, because I could have easily broken theirs, but Yubaba must have been bored that day."

The human girl sighed and bit her lip again. "Ow!" she yelped as she suddenly tasted blood. "Note to self," she muttered angrily as she dashed tears that stemmed more from frustration than pain out of her eyes. "Break bad habits." She looked up and saw Haku gazing at her with a curious expression. "What?" she said self-consciously, and raised a hand to her mouth. "Did I get blood on my face?" she asked awkwardly.

Haku caught her hand before she could touch her lip and check. "You must be more careful with your fragile, human body, Chihiro," he murmured, eyes slightly distant. Chihiro stared at him, mouth open slightly in confusion.

In an almost absent manner, Haku raised one graceful finger to her lip and glided it over her bottom lip, and then gently over the inside, gathering all of the blood that had welled up. She couldn't help it; she shivered slightly.

Her small movement seemed to bring Haku more back to himself, but not enough that he didn't put his finger into his own mouth and suck the blood off. His eyes were darker, Chihiro noticed faintly, as he stared at her. His eyes lightened more the longer they were locked with hers. "I…apologize," he finally said. "I let instinct take over."

Chihiro shook herself. "That's okay," she replied. "It was kind of weird, but not bad or disturbing." Haku eyed her uncertainly. "You're certainly the most…_unique_ human I have encountered," he said at last. Chihiro grinned. "And just how many humans have you met?" she asked Haku playfully. He finally smiled at her and remained silent.

Looking back at her pig-parents, Chihiro frowned softly. "There's nothing you can do?" she asked Haku sadly. Haku shook his head. "I can do nothing as long as Yubaba has control of the bathhouse, its residents, and its surroundings. And it would take a very powerful spirit to overthrow her," he explained.

"We will come back and check on them, but for now we need to go, Chihiro," Haku said. "You must make your debut in the village. It won't take long," he added dryly, looking at her grimace. "I doubt many spirits will want to stop and chat." Chihiro stuck her tongue out and Haku laughed. "Come," he said. "The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be allowed to go outside on your own."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chihiro let Haku lead her through the crowds to visit the various vendors and restaurants that the spirits visited around the bathhouse. She was sure that she hadn't said anything stupid, but most looked at her as one would look at a caged monkey at the zoo: as if they expected her to start throwing feces and swinging from the beams above while chattering like a lemur.

It was a few hours until dawn when Haku escorted her to her room- or rather, carried her once they entered the empty spare guest wing. Chihiro was exhausted. Somehow locating her door from all of the others identical to it, Haku slid the shoji open with one foot while staying perfectly balanced.

As he carried her to the doorway into the bedroom and set her down, Chihiro was sleepily thinking over an idea that had been forming in her mind since they had left the pig house.

"Haku?" she yawned, stretching. "Chihiro?" he replied. "You don't seem to like Yubaba very much. Why do you work for her?" she asked him, waking up a little more.

Haku frowned and looked over to the dark window. "Yubaba makes all of her servants- most of whom come from unfortunate circumstances- sign a magical contract that takes away part of their name, and therefore, part of their identity. Without our whole self, we spirits cannot leave the bathhouse for any extended period of time. Apparently, I appeared here about fifteen years ago and requested a contract."

He turned to look at her as he talked. "I do not know why I did such a thing, but I've regretted it ever since the day Yubaba made me her apprentice under the contract. In fact, the only things about this place that I have not despised are the things I have learned- and you." Chihiro felt her insides melt a little, but firmly told them to stop it.

"Have you learned a lot?" Chihiro asked curiously. Haku smiled faintly. "I am the most educated spirit for two hundred miles, and I am second to only Yubaba in magical strength."

Chihiro frowned. "And that's only because you signed that contract, right?" she asked. He nodded. "And if the contract was destroyed, you would be more powerful than her?"

Haku nodded again, this time a bit warily. "Hypothetically." "Yes, yes, hypothetically. Haku," Chihiro said, looking up into his sea-green eyes. "Did you mean what you said a few days ago? About returning my parents?"

Haku looked insulted. "Of course," he said. "Spirits rarely lie, except for Yubaba, and I did not." Chihiro looked thoughtful. "Are a lot of other employees regretful of their contracts, too?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject. "A fair few," Haku said, wondering where she could possibly be going with her line of questioning. "Yubaba is hardly a fair or kind overseer."

"Right," Chihiro said. "She sounds like a bitch, if you ask me." Haku looked vaguely shocked, but she ignored it. "Haku, I have a proposal for you," she said. He raised an eyebrow in response. "You'd like to get your name back, right?" He nodded. "And help me fix my parents?" Haku nodded again. "Well," she stated calmly, confidently. "I can only see one thing that we can do."

"We need to overthrow Yubaba, and put you in her place."


	10. Chapter Nine: Whoops

Chapter Nine: Whoops

Chapter Nine: Whoops

This chapter is dedicated to Suils Saifir again, because she is awesome, as well as German Mickey and Darkangl28 for being awesome as well. Thanks to FreakyD45663 for reviewing!

Chihiro and Haku were engaged in a long, _long _staring contest that finally culminated in an uncharacteristically loud statement from the dragon-man.

"Are you _insane?!" _Haku exclaimed. Chihiro winced and rubbed at her ears. She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off. "You are! You are insane! Crazy human, overthrow Yubaba…" Haku trailed off into almost feverish muttering while Chihiro watched curiously and wished for popcorn. Hmmm, she thought.

"Haku?" said Chihiro. The man whirled around from where he was pacing and mumbling. "What? Do you want the radish spirits to rebel and form a council, also?" Haku asked sourly. "Or maybe the centipedes?" Chihiro frowned. "Stop whining," she told him. "I just wanted to know if the kitchens can make me popcorn."

Haku stared at her. "I…will go check," he finally said, sounding a bit tired. "You, you mad woman- I will speak to you in the morning." He turned to leave, but Chihiro called after him, "It _is _morning, Haku." He huffed and tried to hide it. "I will see you at noon, then. Get some sleep…Chihiro," he said grudgingly, as if he didn't want to call her by her name after her proposal.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chihiro kept looking at the shoji long after Haku had departed. Finally, she stood up and stretched before making her way to the bedroom. "Could have gone better," she remarked to herself as she tried to catch a decent amount of sleep.

Chihiro blinked awake approximately six hours later. She was still tired, but her skin and hair, grimy from a night out on the town (Chihiro snickered at her phrasing), took precedence over sleep. She wandered into the bathroom and drew herself a bath, and found herself wishing for a shower to speed things up. Chihiro looked around hopefully, but apparently her suite's magical abilities did not extend to plumbing. "Damn," she muttered.

"I ain't happy," she sang softly as she climbed in the tub. "I'm feeling glad, I got sunshine in a bag…I'm useless, but not for long, the future is coming on…" Chihiro continued humming under her breath as she lathered up the herb-scented soap in her long hair. She rinsed and began washing her body with a conveniently placed washcloth, and thought of Haku.

Despite her casual acceptance of his disbelief, Chihiro was seriously worried about his reaction. Sure, what she proposed hadn't happened…ever, or at least it was never mentioned in her companion for the last few days, 'Everything You Ever Thought You'd Never Need To Know.'

From what she had learned, the Spirit World itself had never allowed rebellions to succeed…but then Chihiro had also noticed that all of the mentioned coups advocated regimes that would have enslaved or murdered other spirits. Chihiro figured that since Yubaba was already doing half of that, the Spirit World would most likely assist her plot to overthrow the witch.

But did Haku reason the same thing? Chihiro wanted to make sure he understood her rationale, and didn't just dismiss the proposal as a lunatic, _human _idea. "Oh," Chihiro sighed. "Can't I ever take a bath without getting stressed out?"

"There's too much time to think," she complained to herself as she rinsed off and climbed out of the tub. Chihiro looked over to the towel rack and frowned. She had used the last clean towel yesterday to get ready for her foray into the Spirit World. However, there weren't any clean ones appearing on the rack today, no matter how much she expressed her need for one. Chihiro finally loosed an expletive and glanced at the clock. It was a quarter after eleven; Haku said that he would be there at noon.

With all the time she had spent standing in the bathroom wishing for a towel, Chihiro had already drip-dried most of her skin- only her hair was really damp. Chihiro shrugged; since she was dry anyway, now, she might as well go into her room and get dressed.

Cautiously, she pushed open the bathroom door and peeked into her bedroom. She couldn't see anything relatively threatening, so she walked quickly over to the wardrobe. Chihiro felt infinitely less vulnerable once she had donned underwear, and felt safe enough to spend time actually choosing what to wear, rather than grab the first thing she saw.

Chihiro was just reaching for a pair of jeans (how the wardrobe produced those, she couldn't figure out) when she heard a sound similar to a squeak, but deeper in tone and less irritating on the eardrums.

She spun around quickly to see Haku standing by the slightly open shoji, his eyes wide and a slight flush on his cheeks. Chihiro made a little "eep" noise, her version of a squeak. "Haku!" she yelled as she hid behind the wardrobe door. "Get out!" Haku nodded quickly and fled to the large room, firmly shutting the door behind him.

Chihiro sighed loudly, her heart pounding. He was at least thirty minutes early. "I hope you have a good explanation, Haku," she called sweetly as she pulled on the jeans and a plain green t-shirt. She entered the room and looked around in confusion until she finally spotted Haku already kneeling on the ground by the table, refusing to look at her.

Chihiro snorted and crossed the room to sit across from him. He still didn't look up until she said exasperatedly, "Get a grip. I'm not mad, though I'm curious as to why you're here early and why you came in my room."

Haku finally glanced up at her and seemed to be trying to will the last bits of red from his face. "I wanted to talk to you. I thought about what you…suggested last night, and I thought we might discuss it earlier than planned." Chihiro nodded encouragingly. "Uh huh, and being in my room?" Haku kept a stoic expression and didn't flush again, but Chihiro expected that massive will-power was the only thing stopping it.

"My sincere apologies, Chihiro," Haku told her. "I did not mean to, er, walk in on you. I had called through the screen to see if you were awake, but you did not answer. I assumed you were asleep, and I was going to wake you." Chihiro nodded. "Okay," she said simply. "What did you want to talk about?"

Haku stared at her for a minute, then occupied himself with passing her dishes of food. "I would hope that you could guess what I want to talk about," he said dryly as he handed Chihiro a bowl of rice. She just looked at him with her eyebrows raised expectantly.

"I cannot believe I am about to say this," Haku muttered as he raised his eyes to hers.

"I'll do it."

Chihiro just smiled and took a bite of rice.


	11. Chapter Ten: Under Their Noses

Chapter Ten: Insert name here

Chapter Ten: Under Their Noses

This chapter is dedicated, as always, to German Mickey and Suils Saifir for leaving such splendid reviews!

Thanks to: Darkangl28, marium, FreakyD45663, moonlightshade, Pinpong, Lia Silverclaw, swiftwings13, Dreamcatcher1411, Winterflower, QueenTatooine, MysticMaiden 18, DarkXSpades, and Vaxl as well!

Haku frowned at Chihiro. "Why are you so calm and collected?" he demanded. "I just told you I would help you take over a huge part of the Spirit World!"

Chihiro stared at him with an incredulous look upon her face. "Haku, I know what you just said you would do, and I understand the gravity of it. I was the one to propose the idea, wasn't I?"

Haku just frowned some more. "Well, as you said, you were the one to propose the idea, so where do we start?" he asked cautiously.

Chihiro smiled at him. "It won't be that complicated. I need you to start taking specific note of spirits who seem angry or discontent. Later, once we are certain that this plan will succeed, you and any allies that I make in the Spirit World will let the discontents in on the rebellion."

"Why would you not approach the "discontents" with the plan?" Haku asked reasonably, his eyes glinting.

The human woman sighed. She knew when she was being tested. "No matter how well I will eventually fit in to this society, I will always be regarded as an outsider to the majority. If I approached other spirits outright with rebellion, they would see me as an intruding human trying to disturb the stability- never mind if the stability is a due to a cruel dictatorship," Chihiro told him. She caught her breath and looked at Haku.

"That's the other reason I need you to help me, Haku," Chihiro said earnestly. "I know Yubaba is wrong and needs to be stopped, but without a spirit as part of the cause, I will fail."

Haku looked her over appraisingly. A long moment passed before he smiled gently at her. "You are very clever, Chihiro," he said softly. "Few in history have seen in a society what you have seen in days."

"Basically," he continued, leaning back on one hand. "You need me for my very status as a spirit, and for my power." Chihiro nodded in response.

Haku gazed at her with that smile still on his lips. "Is that truly all you need me for, little Chihiro?" he asked curiously.

Chihiro flushed and looked away. "No…" she said.

"Then what else?" Haku asked her.

Chihiro sighed and mumbled, "I need you for you. Without you as my friend, I'd be all alone here." She glanced up at him. "Right now, whether you like it or not, you are my everything in a world where everyone else either hates me or doesn't care at all."

She sighed again, but couldn't seem to stop talking now that she started. "Even in the human world, Mayu was my only family and after my parents…left, I could never make friends that I could keep. And any friends I has had before they left, _I _had left when we moved away…so, you can see, Haku, that if you left me, I would truly be without a friend in _any_ world, and I know that I would miss you so much that I wouldn't want to go back to the human world alone even if I could."

She sat back and blew out the rest out her breath slowly. "So, yeah…I need you for more than your power and status," Chihiro finished lamely, amazed that she hadn't embarrassed herself by crying. She was afraid to see Haku's face after her long discourse; she imagined that he was looking rather shocked and perhaps nauseated.

Haku was looking shocked, but nausea was far from his mind. His mind was racing, trying to come up with something, anything, to say in response.

It was impossible.

He simply couldn't find words. It was startling, even astounding, to see the depths of Chihiro's loneliness, and even more shocking to find himself the remedy. He has always been a solitary spirit- or at least, as long as he could remember starting after he signed that contract for Yubaba.

Either way, Haku had never been one for emotional attachments, relationships, or even friendships of any kind.

Now, while considering Chihiro's honest words, Haku realized that he had somehow acquired all of those, all wrapped up into one quite pretty package- and he hadn't even noticed it happening.

So while Chihiro occupied herself with pretending she didn't exist and therefore couldn't have just spilled her soul to a dragon, Haku silently moved around the table holding the now-cold dishes of food and pulled her into his arms.

Chihiro squeaked at the sudden movement. "Wha-" she said, but was muffled as she fell into Haku's chest. She felt his arms around her and immediately felt relief. He didn't hate her. He didn't think she was crazy. He wasn't leaving her alone.

Chihiro sniffed, but still managed not to cry as she snaked her arms around Haku's waist and held him tightly. He bent his chin to touch the top of her head.

"Do not worry," he said softly. "I promise that I will not leave you. You…you are my everything, too. I have nothing else in this world or others that means the slightest bit to me. Do not worry, Chihiro," Haku repeated and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

It was slightly awkward when the two finally separated and Haku called for fresh meals, but the discomfort vanished as they began to discuss plans over dinner once more. It was agreed that this rebellion was to be carried out as soon as possible. By the end of the month, Haku planned to give Chihiro all of the names, occupations, and type of every spirit that would most likely join them.

"I hope we succeed, Haku," Chihiro sighed. "We're going so fast, but I want to make sure we're completely prepared for the inevitable fighting."

"We are going fast," Haku agreed. "But we will be ready. Both of us are thorough, and I am positive that we will be able to be prepared for anything in the coming months."

"Besides, this was your idea. Certainly you can believe in yourself if I can believe in you," Haku teased gently. Chihiro blushed faintly and said, "I guess."

They looked at each other for a silent moment before Haku said, "We have talked a very long time. It is already late evening again, and I should let you rest."

Chihiro nodded. "Will you rest too, or will you be busy tonight?"

Haku smiled. "I am not tired, so I will begin listing the "discontents" while you sleep."

"Okay," Chihiro smiled back. "Sounds good." She stood to walk Haku to the door.

He turned to her as he slid the shoji open. "Goodnight, Chihiro," Haku said gently, gazing down at her. Chihiro swallowed hard. "Goodnight, Haku," she replied, reaching out and squeezing his hand briefly.

Haku looked briefly surprised before he hesitantly squeezed back. "Sleep well," the dragon man whispered as he chastely kissed the human woman on the cheek. "I will be here early to see you."

Haku disappeared down the hall as Chihiro brought her hand up to her cheek. Smiling like a lunatic, though she didn't realize it, Chihiro made her way to her bed.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Battle Plans and More

Chapter Eleven: Battle Plans and More Surprises

Chapter Eleven: Battle Plans and More Surprises

This chapter is dedicated to German Mickey and to Suils Saifir for being awesome!

Thanks to: Yami Hime Hikari, eva, Queen B of Randomness, and freckles rule!

Chihiro sighed, frustrated, as she leafed through a large stack of papers. A week had gone by since she and Haku began their plan, and so far the spirit had given her over four hundred names. There were so many, and no organization to any of the information Chihiro was looking at.

"Argh," she said quietly before neatly placing the stack of papers on the table in front of her. "Haku," Chihiro said to the man sitting silently in front of her. "How many people work in the bathhouse?"

"Nearly one thousand- nine-hundred and seventy-two, to be exact," Haku replied offhandedly. Chihiro stared at him, then swallowed and asked, "Does that include Yubaba and all of her little henchmen?"

Haku nodded. "Every person with any reason at all to be in the bathhouse or on the grounds, but is not a guest, is included in the census." Chihiro raised her eyebrows. "Am I included in the census?" she asked curiously. Haku smiled. "Forgive me," he said. "Nine-hundred and seventy-three."

Staring at the numbers in front of her, Chihiro was astounded. Almost fifty percent of the bathhouse employees were listed. "Haku, are you still collecting names, or are you almost finished?" Chihiro asked.

"I am approximately two-thirds of the way through with screening the employees for active discontent," Haku reported. "I expect that I will give you the final preliminary numbers within two days- but only if I work on it this afternoon."

"This is moving so fast," Chihiro mumbled. "We had allotted a month's time for you to complete this task."

"Yes," Haku replied. "But it is far from over. I have given you the names, types, and occupations of all of these spirits, but you must take them and place them into an organized system." Chihiro glared at the monstrous stack of papers, and then whimpered.

Haku stood up. "I will bring you more this evening. Have fun," Haku teased Chihiro as he slid out of the room.

"Stupid dragon, leaving me to do all of the paperwork. Men!" Chihiro grumbled as she gathered all of the paper into one neat stack. Removing all of the books and decorations from the table and the immediate area, Chihiro wished her stereo was here. At least then this task might be fun. Chihiro sighed. "War isn't fun," she told herself. Turning around, something gold caught her eye.

A record player sat on the small end table next to the couch, a tall stack of records perched precariously next to it. Chihiro giggled. "I guess magic can't handle CDs."

After selecting "In The Mood," an old swing classic, Chihiro set to organizing the names. It made no sense to separate them by gender; in the Spirit World it made no difference in their strength. But that was a good idea- separating the spirits by strength. Chihiro would put the strongest spirits on the front line where they would do the most damage, and the weakest spirits behind the scenes where they could run messages, reconnaissance, and shoot long range weapons.

Chihiro wasn't quite sure where they would be getting all of the weapons needed, but they would have to get some somehow. She had never seen any spirits walking around with weaponry openly displayed. She made a note to ask Haku about that situation.

The strongest of spirits were the elementals. Because of this, there were very few working at the bathhouse- but there were enough to do real damage against Yubaba and any spirits that chose to fight with her. Chihiro quickly pulled out all of the elemental profiles and then separated those into four piles: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth.

Chihiro frowned. There was no way she could place Water and Fire elementals together.

Not only did they not like each other, but their powers would cancel each others out.

Chihiro began moving around all of the fighters in earnest, trying to figure out a working system. She could tell that her reasoning and decisions were becoming more and more ruthless, which vaguely nauseated her, but she carried on. She was planning war tactics in order to pull of a massive rebellion- she better get used to the feeling.

Finally, hours later, Chihiro had finished. She had ended up placing Earth and Water elementals together, and Wind and Fire elementals together. If the Earth elementals were fighting and caused the earth around their opponents to rise up and trap them in a large, high-sided bowl, the Water elementals could summon water from the bathhouse's ample supply, and fill the "bowl" up. And if the Water elemental kept up a whirlpool, no spirits would be able to escape, and they would all drown.

In regards to the pairing of Wind and Fire elementals, she could only imagine that damage that could be caused. Fire elementals could keep their fire burning forever, if they chose. They had no limits except for how far from their body they could extend it. In a fight, the Wind elementals would use the air current to send streams of fire in between the ranks of their enemies, causing chaos and pain.

Haku had returned an hour ago, and she was in the process of explaining her set-up to

him. After explaining the elementals, Chihiro continued on.

"The stone spirits are next. They're nearly indestructible and crazy strong, so I set them up as our wall- if anything causes the elementals to break ranks, none of the enemy fighters will get through the stone spirits."

Pointing at another stack of profiles, Chihiro said, "The avian spirits will be overhead, using bows and spears to take out opponents. The large animal spirits will be behind the stone spirits wall, ready to run out and attack if needed. The plant spirits will be the furthest back- they'll be used more as healers and runners. The small animal spirits will mainly run reconnaissance, in addition to helping out the plant spirits."

Chihiro took a deep breath and turned to beam at Haku. "I did it!" she chirped happily. Haku raised an eyebrow. "You created a war plan. What if Yubaba sees our numbers and simply surrenders?"

Chihiro stared at him. "Haku, I don't know the hag. You do- do _you _think that she'll just surrender?" she asked. Haku sighed. "Yubaba is a coward who hates doing things for herself- she would rather make someone else do it. I know that she will refuse to surrender, but we will have to fight through everyone of her soldiers to get to her."

Haku looked away, towards the record player. (It was now playing "Do You Love Me.") "You are right about how to plan for this, but the prospective loss of life weighs heavily on me."

Chihiro hugged him around the waist and rested her head on his chest. "I know, Haku. I felt vaguely nauseous while I was planning this. But while Yubaba won't surrender, maybe most of her soldiers will when they see our numbers. We'll try to kill as little as possible."

He sighed again and Chihiro could feel his chest vibrate. "I know, Chihiro," Haku replied as she listened to his heartbeat. "You are right. But one thing that I am curious about- where are we in your battle plan?"

"Mmm," Chihiro said. "You will be doing nothing unless something goes horribly wrong and our people are dying- Yubaba will be your only opponent. And, as a human, I am relatively useless in a fight among spirits. I'll be stuck receiving reconnaissance reports, and surveying the fighting."

"Hey," Chihiro said, looking up at Haku. "Do batteries work here?" Haku stared at her. "I believe so. But why do you want to know?"

"Walkie-talkies. They'd make staying in touch during battle so much easier. Is it all possible to send someone into the Human world to get some walkie-talkies and batteries?"

Haku shook his head emphatically. "Spirits used to cross over all of the time. But now, the only Spirits that go into the Human world are being persecuted or exiled- or forced to by the Spirit World itself, like how you were retrieved. The only way to get supplies from the Human world is to contact an exiled spirit and allow them back into the Spirit World."

"Damn," Chihiro muttered. "I wish Mayu could just bring the stuff I need." Haku grasped her chin and tilted her face to look up at him again. "You have said that name before," he said. "That was also the name of someone I once knew."

Chihiro frowned. "She's my adopted mother. And she's only in her thirties. If spirits don't visit the Human world anymore, it must have been someone else." Haku shook his head. "Most likely, but just in case…Chihiro, do you remember when I had you focus on your parents and I looked through your eyes to see them? Would you focus on Mayu and allow me to see her through your eyes?"

She shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Thinking about Mayu was never hard- the woman was so crazy sometimes that one couldn't _stop _thinking about her. Finally Haku smiled and looked away, over at the record player again. "And now for another surprise," he said under his breath.

"Mayu is a spirit that has been exiled for fifty years," Haku told Chihiro.

Chihiro was silent for a moment. Then she said, "I think that I've done pretty well, overall, adjusting to the Spirit World- but this is too much."

Haku had to tighten his grip on her to keep her from falling to the floor when she fainted.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Attention Spans and

Chapter Twelve: Attention Spans and Lack of Understanding

Chapter Twelve: Attention Spans and Lack of Understanding

I AM SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. Blame Advanced Placement.

This chapter is dedicated to Suils Saifir, Yami Hime Hikari, chloe (I kept your review in mind while writing! Thanks so much!), and German Mickey!

Thanks to: Queen B of Randomness, MariahDezie, Ybs, xYuna, and Vampiresa-Sucubo!

When Chihiro woke up, she was lying on her futon and Haku was sitting next to her. Before she could say anything, Haku asked abruptly, "How long did you sleep last night?"

Chihiro frowned. "I slept a solid eight hours. Why?"

Haku ignored her question. "Did you eat anything while I was gone?"

"No," Chihiro scowled. "I only eat with you; you know that. What's the big deal?"

He huffed, sounding irritated. "You stupid human," he railed. "You're not as strong as you think you are! You need to eat every four to six hours!"

Chihiro stared at him. In a hurt voice, she responded, "This stupid human already knows that, Haku! This stupid human has only been one for, oh, all her _stupid human life!_"

Haku glared at her for a moment more before he looked away and uncharacteristically ran a hand through his silky hair. "I apologize," he bit out. "I-" here Haku sighed and let his hand drop from his scalp to rest hesitantly on Chihiro's hand. "I worry about you," he said softly as he tentatively intertwined their fingers.

Chihiro watched his slender fingers with surprise before she schooled her features and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I may be human, Haku, and I know nothing could ever stop you from worrying- you're just one of those people- but I don't appreciate you calling me stupid. What's the problem?" Chihiro asked softly.

"I-" uncharacteristically, Haku couldn't seem to find the right words. "It is just that I- I do not know how this happened. I am not even sure what exactly it is that is happening to me."

Chihiro squeezed his fingers, her brow wrinkling in her anxiety. "What do you mean, Haku?" she asked earnestly. "Is it anything I can help you with?"

Haku snorted mirthlessly. "You are the cause, Chihiro." Chihiro pulled away from him, stung. Haku hastened to amend his statement. "Not precisely in a bad way, Chihiro, I apologize. I just do not understand."

Chihiro frowned. "Does this have anything to do with your dragon-y side?" she asked curiously. Haku shook his head. "I do not think it is solely the result of the animalistic division of my soul. Perhaps partly, though."

Chihiro shifted again under the covers. "Well," she said, "You should tell me what exactly you're feeling. Maybe I can help you figure out what's going on." Haku eyed her uncertainly. "Ah, maybe later," he said with an odd expression on his face. Chihiro made a face. "What?" she asked indignantly. "I could help!"

"You think," Haku corrected. Chihiro gazed at his ambiguous expression. "Does this has something to do with you calling me the cause?" Haku smiled at her. "Perhaps. You are very thought-provoking, you know."

Before Chihiro could respond to that, Haku rose and crossed the room in the fluid way that was solely his. He returned in less than a moment, bearing a tray of food- the scent made Chihiro's mouth water and her stomach growl. Haku frowned at her as a glint of worry reappeared in his gaze. Chihiro merely blushed.

"I guess I was hungrier than either of us realized," she said sheepishly. "But Haku, at least you don't have to worry about that. Really, I forgot to eat all of the time when I lived with Mayu, but I was always okay."

Haku rolled his eyes. "Only you, Chihiro," he scoffed quietly, followed by a slightly softer tone: "Only you."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chihiro was midway into her third bowl of miso and second bowl of rice when she abruptly began to choke. Haku dropped his own bowl with a loud crash as he lunged closer to her and began to pound on her back until she waved him away. Coughing slightly, Chihiro grimaced at him while rubbing her chest lightly.

"You know, that really doesn't help. It just makes it more difficult to cough easily," she

said reproachfully. Haku glared. "You were choking!" he claimed.

"Just a little bit," Chihiro said. "No, really!" she insisted when he continued to glare at her. "I would have been fine five minutes ago if you hadn't tried to, er, save me. Hey- stop distracting me!" Haku stopped glaring at her and just gave her a confused look.

"This whole reprimand party started when I fainted- and I fainted because you said Mayu was an exiled spirit that you used to know," Chihiro said to Haku firmly. "Are you sure?" she asked him.

Haku raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I am sure," he said confidently. "As long as you are sure that what you remember is what she looks like," he continued mockingly.

Chihiro stuck her tongue out at him. "Shut up," she grumbled before continuing. "But really- Mayu is a spirit? I mean, how much crazier is my life going to get? It's starting to get cliché."

Haku shrugged with a half-smile on his face. "Yes, Mayu is a spirit. I do not know why or how she just happened to be your foster mother, but perhaps there is just some invisible quality that draws the Spirit World and those of it towards you."

Chihiro snorted. "I think I'd rather be without the magical pheromones," she said. "Maybe then I could have had a boyfriend." Haku frowned, a deep wrinkle marring the surface between his eyebrows. "A boyfriend?" he questioned. "Did you not have male friends?"

Chihiro laughed a bit. "Uh, no. But I guess I can't blame that on the magical pheromone things, or on the boys. I was never really interested in any of the boys in the Human World."

Haku raised an eyebrow again, ridding himself of the worrisome wrinkle. "You weren't?" he asked. "Did you have any female friends?"

Chihiro smiled at him. "I didn't have any romantic girlfriends, and I never really got close to any girls just as friends after I…lost my parents. It was basically just me and Mayu the whole time."

"Hey!" Chihiro continued in a lighter tone. "But now I have you as a friend!" Haku smiled back at her. "Yes, Chihiro. Always," he replied.

They looked at each other for a few moments before Chihiro remembered something. "Jeez!" she exclaimed. "My attention span is just not up to the job today. Why was Mayu exiled, and how can we get her back?" she asked.

Haku shrugged. "I do not know the exact reason she was exiled. It was most likely Yubaba being Yubaba. She is never happy if someone else is."

"As far as contacting her…" Haku shook his head. "I have never needed to before. I do not know how."

Chihiro sighed angrily before she drained the last of her miso and slammed the bowl down on the tray. "Well, I think there's a reason I've known an exiled spirit for so many years. I think we need her help, and if you don't know how to contact her, you need to bring me someone who can."

"Chihiro, you know we can't-" Haku objected, but Chihiro interrupted. "No," she said. "I know why we can't let everyone know at first. But I also know that everything happens for a reason- or at least, it probably does- so figure out who you trust the most out of the recruits, and bring them to me. Human technology could help sway this battle to our side, Haku," Chihiro aid firmly.

Haku sighed heavily. "I do not have to think about it," he replied. "There is one bathhouse employee that I would trust above everyone else."

Chihiro smiled. "Good. Who is it?"

"Rin," Haku responded with a dejected expression. "She…well, let me just say that I did not used to be her favorite person, so she enjoys bringing a large amount of irritation with her whenever she meets me."

Chihiro raised her eyebrows. "Sounds like I'll like her."


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Rin

Chapter Thirteen: Rin

This chapter is dedicated to German Mickey and Suils Saifir!

Thanks to: MariahDezie, xYuna, Archon Dragon, Kdec1225, Mizaka, LM Kitsune, yOur-DoWnFaLl, little obsessions, Mardahin, GoDrinkPinesol624, TakariFan8816, Janettelle,

I feel so loved, you guys- even though I've left you hanging without any updates for a while. For this story, I have 11 favorites and 31 story alerts. I'm on 12 favorite authors lists, 6 people have me on their author alert, and this story has 45 reviews. I need to get going on this story to keep from disappointing you! Or, well…work on it as much as I can. I try to thank everyone who contributes in any way to my story. Thanks again! I really hope you all like it- I think you will. Let me know!

A few days later, Chihiro had finished making battle plans with the final numbers that Haku had given her. She was currently staring in trepidation at the tall female spirit standing in front of her.

"And another thing- if you idiots get caught, I had nothing to do with this! Do you understand? _Nothing!_" the woman called Rin lectured harshly, looking back and forth between Chihiro and Haku.

Chihiro sighed internally. They had gotten through introductions and their plan to overthrow Yubaba, but Rin cut them off before they ever reached the part about contacting someone in the human world. Haku hadn't been exaggerating when he said that Rin enjoyed irritating him.

The problem was, right now she was irritating both Haku and Chihiro, and she was wasting time doing so when any minute an outsider could stumbled upon their suspicious-looking meeting and run to Yubaba.

Chihiro knew she had to cut Rin off before she could catch her breath and continue her tirade. "Yeah, yeah. That's great. We won't rat you out if you won't rat us out," she grumbled, purposefully speaking more brashly than she was used to. "We need to get down to the real business."

Rin raised an eyebrow at the little human woman. "Huh," she said. Chihiro frowned and put her hands on her hips. "What?" she demanded. Rin gave her a wicked smile.

"You've got more guts than dragon-boy next to you there," she said. "He would have cowered for another hour, letting me yell at him, just 'cause he feels guilty about how he used to be an asshole way back in the day."

Chihiro was unable to hold in her giggle; it sounded out of place after her harsh tones a few minutes ago. Rin just grinned at her. The pretty spirit woman glanced at Haku, who was busy avoiding their eyes and hiding the faint flush on his cheeks. "I like her," she said bluntly. "Don't screw it up."

Haku looked up at her, surprised, before he turned his gaze on Chihiro. "I wasn't planning on it," he murmured. Rin let him ogle for a moment longer before she made a loud gagging noise and caught both Chihiro and Haku's attention again.

"So," she drawled, sprawling over half of the sofa, "What is this 'real business' that you speak of?" Haku remained standing as Chihiro sat down to face Rin. Her face was very serious, but it held a badly hidden hope.

"We need you to perform a huge favor for us," she said solemnly. Rin raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the earnestness of the human woman's statement. "Go on," she beckoned to Chihiro.

"There's an exiled spirit in the human world that we need to contact," Chihiro said firmly. "If I can reach her, she could provide priceless resources for our side." Chihiro gestured at Haku though her eyes never left Rin's.

"Once we have made contact and set a place and time, Haku has assured me that it is no trouble at all for him to allow her back into the Spirit World without being detected. It is only the process of contacting the spirit that he is unable to perform."

Rin looked back and forth between the human woman and spirit man. "What's in it for me?" she asked, leaning back in the cushions. Haku and Chihiro looked at her. "My unending gratitude," Chihiro said flatly, slightly irritated.

Rin stared back at her before her face erupted into another wicked grin. "Sounds good to me! What the hell- I'll do it!" Chihiro smiled back and Haku finally relaxed and let his arms- which had been crossed over his chest since Rin arrived- fall to his sides.

"Thank you," Chihiro said sincerely. "Let me know- or rather, let Haku know when you can do it. We need to contact her as soon as possible." Rin shrugged. "What's wrong with right now?" she asked.

Chihiro was taken aback. "Er-well, nothing. I guess," she stuttered. "Um, okay. Sure. Right now works." Rin laughed. "Er, um, okay then," she mocked Chihiro, who scowled. "Write down what you want me to say. You won't be able to speak to her; it's a one-on-one kind of thing."

Chihiro pouted a little but only Haku noticed. He rested his graceful fingers on the back of her neck and squeezed gently. "You will see her soon enough," he reassured her. Chihiro looked back and up at him and smiled gratefully. "You're right," she said, and stood up. To Rin, she said, "Stay there. I'll be right back with what I want you to say."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

It took Chihiro at least ten minutes to figure out what she wanted Rin to begin with, but from there it flowed. Two minutes after she began, she was finishing her "letter" with a list of supplies that overflowed onto the back side of the paper she was writing on. She walked into the main room, unnoticed, as Rin was busy teasing/irritating Haku.

"You like her, you liker her," Rin trilled in a sing-song voice. Haku ignored her in favor of staring longingly out of the window. Rin frowned, but was soon speaking again.

"You know, with all of the contact I've made with the human world over the years, I learned the most wonderful little song. I think I'll sing it for you- I'm sure you'll appreciate it," Rin rambled disarmingly before launching into verse.

"Haku and Chihiro, sitting in a tree- K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love- then comes marriage- then comes the baby in a baby carriage!" Haku twitched rather noticeably and his cheeks held that faint hint of color again.

From her unseen position by the screen door, Chihiro was having a hard time keeping her giggles from exploding out of her chest. She remembered a time on the primary school playground when she and a few others had sung that same song at another little girl and boy. They had been caught holding hands and the tiny couple had blushed furiously. What Chihiro found so endearing about the memory was that the little girl and boy hadn't let go of each other, even in the face of their peers' laughter.

"Aw, come on, Haku! Show some emotion every once in a while!" Rin whined as she tugged on his wide sleeve. "I'm sure that Chihiro wouldn't mind," she added in a lower and more suggestive voice. Haku coughed into his sleeve, pulling it out of Rin's grasp. "I'll keep that in mind," he said in a slightly strangled voice.

Chihiro closed the screen door louder than usual to alert the spirits that she was there. Haku whirled around gracefully while Rin took her time to turn and sit on the couch again. "Took you long enough," she commented. Chihiro frowned. "I doubt you had any trouble keeping yourself entertained."

Rin shrugged. "True. So, what have you got for me?" She took the parchment that Chihiro extended to her and read it out loud.

"_Mayu- Let me preface this by saying that I am perfectly fine- that way, you should feel no need to freak about my current well-being. As you may have guessed, this is Chihiro._

_I've missed you. Long story short, I was taken to the Spirit World and once here, I decided to pull off a rebellion along with the help of my good friend, Haku. He says he knows you. I need human world resources, and more importantly, I need your help. _

_In two days, bring the following items to the end of that path that goes into the forest. There, Haku will pull you back into the Spirit World. That is, if you want to come. _

_I love you and I hope to see you soon. Love, Chihiro."_

Rin raised an eyebrow. "The spirit you want me to contact is someone that you knew before you came here?" she asked. "That's interesting." Chihiro shrugged. "Tell me about it." Haku slipped a silent, comforting arm around her shoulders and Chihiro smiled up at him again.

Rin was reading the list of items that Chihiro had written down. "As many pairs of walkie-talkies and flashlights as you can afford, enough batteries to fill all of them at least twice over, spray paint, different colored tacks and markers, chocolate…" Rin's voice trailed off as she looked up at Chihiro. "Chocolate? I'm contacting someone across the freaking worlds and you're asking me to ask her for _chocolate?"_

Chihiro nodded, no hint of embarrassment on her face. "Yup," she replied, cheered by the though of chemically enhanced chocolate bars. She was kind of tired of eating healthy.

Rin rolled her eyes and Haku stared with astonishment at the little human woman. She patted him on the cheek happily. "Have you ever had a Hershey's Cookies and Cream chocolate bar?" she asked him, her eyes bright.

"No," Haku said, shaking his head. "What about a Skor Chocolate and Toffee bar?" she persisted. "No," he drawled. "It sounds painful." Chihiro laughed. "Only if you eat too much."

Chihiro kept listing different kinds of chocolate and asking Haku if he'd ever tried any of them. He never had, but his replies kept her entertained.

While they bantered, Haku acting more happy than Rin had ever seen him, Rin quietly closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed until it was virtually nonexistent; beneath her eyelids, her eyes began to twitch the way they do when one is immersed in a deep sleep.

It took probably five minutes for Chihiro and Haku to notice that Rin wasn't saying anything to mock them. By the time Chihiro had darted over to Rin's side, worried about her, Rin was abruptly sitting up and stretching her arms out. "All done," she said simply. Chihiro was frozen in the act of reaching for Rin's arm; her mouth was gaping slightly.

"All…done?" she repeatedly slowly, as if testing out words spoken in a different language. Rin nodded and stood. Patting Chihiro's head, the pretty spirit said, "She'll be here in two days. And she says she missed you, too."

Chihiro blinked rapidly as Rin made her way to the exit of the room. "Thank you!" Chihiro called to her in a high-pitched voice, hardly able to contain her excitement. Rin gave her a mock-salute. "Sure thing, kid. Don't forget to bug dragon-boy for me!" With that parting remark, Rin made her exit.

Chihiro turned to Haku, her eyes bright with happiness. "Mayu's coming!" she exclaimed, as if Haku hadn't heard it for himself. He gave her a smile in return as she flung herself at him. His arms wrapped around her shoulders as her hands snaked around his waist.

"I can't wait until she arrives!" Chihiro enthused. "Then everyone I love will be in the Spirit World! It will be perfect!" Haku rested his forehead against hers. "I am very glad that you are so happy," he told her. The deep tone of his voice made his chest rumble; pressed up against him as she was, Chihiro could feel every syllable all the way to her toes.

Breathless, she looked into Haku's eyes. "I'm very happy," she whispered. The skin around Haku's eyes crinkled in a reflection of his smile. "For the first time in a long time, Chihiro, so am I. And it is all because of you."

Chihiro's brow furrowed. "Me?" she asked, questioningly. Haku nodded.

"You," he breathed, and with a very slow and gentle motion, pressed his lips to hers.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Fate and Emotions

Chapter Fourteen: Fate and Emotions

This chapter is dedicated to: Suils Saifir, for the constantly awesome reviews, as well as Tailz the Great.

Thanks to: kdec, marium, Ritakna, XxXSilverShadowXxX, Yumi Reitenshi, Taeniaea, Mizaka, Tropicalna, sakura shimizu, calitana, German Mickey.

A/N: Okay, guys- I'm kind of borrowing from the greatness that is Stephenie Meyer. So cheers to her. This can get a bit risqué, depending on your definition of risqué. This chapter is all Chihiro-Haku interaction- they insisted upon it. I'm going to try to guide the next chapter into some plot action, but I never know what the characters are going to want. Hope you enjoy!

Chihiro and Haku's first kiss was not destined to be slow and gentle.

Neither of them was prepared for how Chihiro reacted to the warm pressure of Haku's lips against hers. Chihiro gasped loudly and moved her arms from his waist to his neck; even though their bodies were already pressed up against each other, Chihiro pressed herself even closer, as if trying to get inside of his skin. Her lips attacked his hungrily, desperately.

Haku was not immune to the warm, human woman's advances. He couldn't help but lift Chihiro up off the ground, allowing her to wrap her slim legs around his waist. He groaned into her mouth as she opened it to him, allowing their tongues to tangle sensually around each other. In uncharacteristic clumsiness, Haku stumbled backward, still holding tightly to Chihiro, until he hit the sturdy wall.

Her hands tangled in Haku's hair, his lips trailed from her swollen lips to reach her smooth, delicate neck. Chihiro sighed and panted as Haku left a trail of fire from one side of her throat to the other. But suddenly, Haku groaned and pulled away. He continued to hold her up so that their faces were level with each other, but he made no move to touch her so sensually again.

As Chihiro stared into Haku's eyes, her panting slowly gave way to gentle breaths and her flushed cheeks cooled. The wild look that had overtaken Haku's normally calm face gradually faded to be replaced by a slightly more common one that Chihiro recognized as deep affection.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly into the silence, but even as her lips formed the words, Haku was quieting them with a gentle kiss to her cheek.

"Do not apologize for something neither you nor I regret, Chihiro," Haku told her softly. Chihiro smiled at him, but it quickly turned to a frown.

"If you don't regret it, then why…" her voice trailed off as she blushed softly; Haku's eyes, liquid pools of ocean, were focused solely on hers with an inquisitive gaze.

"Why what, Chihiro?" he prodded gently, as if he knew what she was going to ask. Chihiro swallowed. "Why did you…stop?" she asked, her eyes darting away from his, but returning just as soon- unable to look away for long.

Haku began to put her down, but Chihiro frowned and tightened her legs around his waist. Haku froze for a moment and swallowed thickly. Shaking his head as if to clear away lingering distractions, Haku acquiesced to Chihiro's silent request and held her close as he instead took a seat on the sofa.

"I stopped because I did not want to bind you to me for all of time," Haku said bluntly. Chihiro leaned away from his embrace, stung. "Wait, Chihiro- that did not sound right. I do not wish to bind you to me for all of time when we know so little about one another, and before I ask your permission."

Chihiro stared at Haku, eyes wide. "Oh," she squeaked. Haku nodded once, a tiny smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "Yes," he said. "'Oh.'"

Chihiro frowned again. "And kissing longer would have bound us together?" she asked skeptically. Haku stared at her and then gave a short laugh. "With the kind of kissing you were doing, we would not have been just kissing for much longer," he told her.

Running his fingers along her neck, tracing the path that his lips had taken just moments before, Haku said, "You are far too tempting, Chihiro. If I had waited a moment longer to pull away, there is a possibility that I would have already lost my senses and claimed you."

"Claimed me?" Chihiro echoed. "But you were just…kissing my neck," she finished awkwardly. Haku nodded.

"Yes. I was. And if I cared nothing for you, I could have continued kissing your neck and then much, much more without having to worry about binding us together. But because I _do _care for you, my Chihiro, the temptation would have proved too strong had we continued any further."

Chihiro rested her head against Haku's chest, turning sideways in his lap to get comfortable. "The binding you talk about- is it the same vampire-esque bonding that I read about in "Everything You Ever Thought You'd Never Need To Know"?"

Chihiro could feel Haku's slightly offended grumble all the way to her toes.

"Though I do not appreciate the comparison, I acknowledge the similarities," Haku replied. "Like a vampire," his voice dripped with contempt for the word, "a mating pair will bite one another on one side of the neck. It is permanent- it can never, ever be broken, which is why it should not be rushed into. More important than anything else, it ties the lifespans of the mates together. Spirits, as you should know, do not die naturally, but they can be killed- either through force or if the force they patron is utterly destroyed. If one is killed, the other will die."

Chihiro hummed in thought. She loved the sound Haku's heartbeat made as she pressed her ear to his chest, and the way it shifted while he spoke.

"You have questions, do you not?"

Haku's chest rumbled under her ear.

Chihiro nodded. "Just one for now. What happens when a human and a spirit are bound?" she asked in slightly embarrassed curiosity.

"Such cases are rare, but as far as I can tell, accurately documented," Haku explained. "The human partner's lifespan will match the spirit's, like in a normal bonding. However, the human is still susceptible to disease and injury, so extra care needs to be taken to ensure the continued safety of both partners."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Chihiro tried to say, but it ended in a yawn. Haku chuckled.

"No, it is definitely not a bad thing. It is actually uncommon, and very beautiful," Haku commented softly, his voice seeming to hold a hint of wistfulness.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chihiro continued to sit with her eyes closed, safely ensconced within Haku's arms. Haku had said that he did not want to bond with her for two reasons; one being that they did not know enough about each other, and the other, needing her permission.

Chihiro doubted that, given a little time, Haku would not receive her whole-hearted permission and enthusiasm. She had gone to school with a wide variety of students- male, female; mature, sophomoric; outgoing, introverted. She had only been able to connect briefly with a few people, and nothing ever lasted long.

With Haku, she felt like smiling just because he walked into the room. She felt completely at home and safe within his arms, despite the fact that she knew he was very, very capable of crushing her with barely a thought. She felt exhilarated from his kisses and dazed by his caresses. He was her best friend and her protector and her partner-in-crime.

It was no far stretch of the imagination to picture him as something far more beloved.

Despite her internal convictions and growing affection for the elegant dragon-man, Haku's other point weighed on Chihiro's mind. Knowing more about each other.

She was perfectly willing to tell Haku every aspect of her life before she came to the Spirit World. There wasn't any problem there; she had no secrets. But Haku could tell her no more than what he remembered from after the day he signed his contract with Yubaba and lost part of his self.

Chihiro wanted, more than she wanted his kisses or his touch or his company, for Haku to be his whole self once again. She knew that his missing half bothered him, though he hadn't spoken a word about it since she made her promise to break his contract with Yubaba.

Chihiro yawned once again and snuggled deeper into Haku's chest until he shifted his arms to cradle her more softly. She had no clue how she was going to get his name back, but she would.

Yubaba didn't stand a chance.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Haku looked down at Chihiro's head. She had finally dozed off; he had noticed her fighting slumber for a while now. A small smile graced Haku's face and he brought one hand to gently rest on her head. Every once in a while the human woman would mutter something about Yubaba in a resentful tone; Haku was amused by the malice that coated her tone when she spoke.

He had come to care deeply for the human woman that was going to turn the Spirit World upside down, that much was obvious. He could only hope that they both survived the rebellion and had a chance to let their feelings grow into something stronger.


	16. Chapter Fifteen Teaser

**A/N: **Ehhhh, I suck. It's been over two years, I know. I'm incredibly sorry. RL took over—a lot of stuff has gone down since I last updated. This tiny bit of a chapter has been sitting here for almost as long, and I figure that I might as well give it to you all even though I've gone over _Home _and cringe sometimes at my awkward beginner's writing. I _am _going to try and finish this, though. I finish my first year of university in June and will then focus on figuring out just where the heck I'm going with this story. Any future chapters are (hopefully) going to be a little more mature in their writing style. I beg your forgiveness for the past wait and your patience for the future one. And, yeah, even though I suck, I am going to remind all of you lovely people that reviews are lovely and make me feel inspired.

**Recap: **Chihiro, drawn into the Spirit World against her will, teams up with Haku to take over the bathhouse from Yubaba and start a new reign of peace. In the midst of their planning, Haku introduces Chihiro to Rin, who helps the human girl by contacting Chihiro's adopted mother in the human world. Mayu, Chihiro's adopted mother and an exiled spirit, agrees to bring human supplies over the border in order to help the rebellion effort and to be with her adopted daughter.

Chapter Fifteen Teaser

This teaser is dedicated to Suils Saifir, German Mickey, Ruize, and Tailz the Great!

Thanks to: Mizaka, Taeniaea, XxXSilverShadowXxX, marium, Ritakna, EnduraAngel, kdec, Kit Roka, oceanmoon,  Malice, Foreign Nebula, squkyshoes, gypsydancer529, Ruize, Azaria Stromsis, Another Generic Name (excellent username, by the way), Renegader, MadHatCat, Katie 23, ladylillyofazra, Melty Bagle, bloodoftheangels, vampirelover2009, Forest Ink, Josh Gerdes, writertron,.

Chihiro fidgeted anxiously. She was waiting for Rin, who would be at her rooms any moment in order to escort her to the gateway. The two women had made a habit of showing up all over the bathhouse and the village together during the past two days, as they figured that Rin and Chihiro walking off toward the gateway together would be less noticeable than Haku escorting Chihiro on an unscheduled stroll out of the immediate area.

_Finally_, the brusque knock came on the frame of the shoji screen before it slid open. Rin stepped into the room as Chihiro stood up. Rin simply stared at her for a few moments.

"Are you colorblind?" the spirit woman asked eventually, one eyebrow casually raised. Chihiro frowned and confusion, and then looked down at herself.

She giggled; it might seem that way to other people. But Chihiro just liked color. Today she was wearing a turquoise, knee-length tiered skirt, plum-colored tights, and an emerald blouse.

"No," Chihiro replied, smiling. "But I know I look…different. I've always dressed like this, except when I'm just lounging around. My favorite outfit when I was little was a green and white striped shirt, pink shorts, and yellow tennis shoes."

Rin rolled her eyes. "You suck at blending in," she said. "Come on, let's go."

The two strolled nonchalantly through the bathhouse, occasionally stopping to chat with a friendly spirit or wave at acquaintances from across the room. Chihiro was thankful to see that fewer spirits looked at her like she was scum and more looked at her like she was just another citizen on the Spirit World.

Then again, there were still the few who seemed like they were trying to kill her with their eyes. Chihiro sighed.

The village was busy, but few looked their way as they made their way to the outskirts of the shops. Chihiro paused at the top of a set of wide, stone steps that led down to a spread of river rocks that further off gave way to a grassy plain. In the distance, she could see a large red building.

"Rin," Chihiro said. "I thought that this area was covered in water. Was I wrong?"

Rin shook her head. "No, but the water comes and goes. Most often there's grass when the gateway is open, but sometimes there's grass otherwise. No one will be suspicious."

"Huh," Chihiro said thoughtfully. She tried to calculate any possible risks that the changing water/land might cause their side in the future battle, but could think of nothing. Most, if not all, of the fighting would be done inside of the village walls.

She pushed the possible destruction out of her mind.

"Come on, slowpoke," Rin called from the bottom of the steps. "This is as far as we can go, but we also have the best view of the gateway from down here."

Chihiro made a face, but hopped her way down the steps anyway. Once at the bottom, she flopped down next to where Rin was reclined, taking in the sun with a rare peaceful smile on her face.

Chihiro smiled at the sight until Rin said without changing expression, "Stop staring at me, you freak."

Ignoring the insult because she knew the other woman didn't truly mean it, Chihiro took up staring at the tiny dark shadow on the red building that was the gateway. She shuddered unintentionally, imagining a day years ago when her parents went in the other side and never came back out.

Rin's voice interrupted her unhappy memories. "How's dragon boy?" she asked Chihiro with a smirk.

Chihiro smirked back and attempted to fight away the blush she felt creeping up on her.


End file.
